Check-in Station Year in Review: 2013 (Summer)

There are some anime seasons that are just good.  There are seasons that are memorable.  And then there are seasons that are legendary.  The Spring 2006 season saw the debut of the most influential anime since Evangelion, Haruhi.  On top of that, it had Higurashi, Ouran High School Host Club, Gintama and Aria!  The Fall 2006 season aired the beginnings of Death Note and Code Geass, two juggernaut series at the same time!  Fall 1995 saw the debut Neon Genesis Evangelion and the first Ghost in the Shell movie.  And yet, I look at this Summer 2013 season and wonder – does this rank as one of the best seasons of anime ever?!  It’s insane to think about how low the expectations were going into this season.  My own expectations were near rock bottom.  When it came to what hype I had, it was all regarding the two returning series and nothing else.  Even then, Bakemonogatari‘s second sequel was getting a lot of hype from the anime community because of the mixed reactions Nisemonogatari received (I loved it).  And there was no telling if Symphogear G was going to be able to live up to the hype,pacing and expectations set by the first season.  But what we got this season was an ever rolling, ever growing ball of quality, memorable anime.

Summer 2013 was the little engine that could.  It was the nerdy kid turned super star.  Summer 2013 was the best of 2013!  And I’m proving it here!

Servant x Service Ep. 9: Where Apparently Everyone Should be a Mind Reader…

I really thought this was going to be a Chihaya episode, but quickly realized that this was going to highlight each of the main characters and one of the major issues in any relationship: COMMUNICATION.

Even before the opening credits, we see Lucy lamenting over the

On Holiday: Labor Day Anime Special pt1 (Majestic Prince, C3-bu & Love Lab)

I’m going to do something a little different this week, since I planned on having fun on Labor Day – a day to celebrate working people.  I decided to take it easy this past weekend, and cover the usual anime in shorter fashion.  Well, I won’t totally stick to that. If i’m particularly inspired then some of these may be longer. But for now, I’m gonna do a “Week in Review” type of post for this weekend for some shows. Starting with Majestic Prince episode twenty one.

Servant x Service, Episode 8: Sometimes extraordinary people just want ordinary lives

This is very heavy Hasebe/Lucy episode, which is alright. They are both interesting characters which makes their interactions all the more amusing. We open with Lucy apparently sucking at life, at least when it comes to her extraordinarily long name. In an attempt to cheer her up (and himself in the process), Hasebe invites her to dinner. The usual “I’m broke” speech comes up, but she accepts. From the banter at dinner, you can tell they are becoming more comfortable with each other. Hmm, could that be the start of…? Nah, let’s move on.

Love Lab ep7: the Misadventures of Rentarou Kurahashi!

With the pressure quickly mounting for what I guess we can finally officially call the Love Lab, Natsuo seems to be getting more and more crazy as the show goes on. Then again, she’s also getting more and more funny, too. This though doesn’t help with the requests for love advice piling up, and some nosy Newspaper club members on their tail.

Regardless of the hassle and the intimidation factor of their combined tasks, the love research continues.  And by love research, I mean

Servant X Service ep7: the Tanakas are a fearsome clan! You cannot escape!

I love that this episode starts off with my favorite situation in the show. Megumi x Taishi x Toko! And here we see Megumi doing her best to squeeze more time into Taishi’s life by hanging out with, and manipulating his volatile little sister. Despite fair warnings, which also doubled as clever goading, Toko ends up playing a series of games that she gets punished for losing. The punishment?

Servant X Service ep6: pitiful, most pitiful

Ah! It feels good to finally be caught up with this show! I like Servant X Service too much to try to save up episodes for a marathon viewing.

Things get started normally enough, as we see Lucy speaking to a worrisome (or worry-ful) mother on her mobile phone. Though that convo is cut a little short when she comes across her boss, who is after all… a remote controlled stuffed animal.

Love Lab ep6: clash at the cram school!

Well this is a welcome change! In the first seconds of the show we get to meet Riko’s family, or at least most of it. Her little brother, who seems very popular with girls; and her mother, a normal woman who is understandably a little worried about her tomboy daughter. They’re both very familiar with Riko’s secret and bane, her lack of

Check-in Station Catchup Comedy Special pt2: Servant X Service eps 2-5

Servant X Service

Episode 2

A cute episode, where we get to learn a bit more about the employees.  For one, the rather bland Chihaya is a rabid cosplayer, and a temp worker who fervently supports both.  Basically, she does temp work so she can afford to cosplay and take the necessary days off.  It’s a tad weird, but i still find it admirable.  I’m more worried about the next time she comes face to face with Lucy’s boobs though.  I’m starting to get the feeling that she’s jealous of them, and will snatch them off Lucy’s chest given the right opportunity.

I think my favorite gag involving

Check-in Station: Love Lab ep5 (proficiency is the key!)

This was an ambitious episode. With the looming problem of how the student council was going to discretely get the results of their love research to their client addressed, it was now just a matter of putting Riko’s ambitious plan into action. A classic case of things being easier said than done. But after all, all they have to do is hijack the school broadcast without permission, and without any of the teachers interfering with their weird broadcast. And since a “genius’ like Riko was planning it, then I’m sure it will go off without a hitch, right?